David Beckham Defends England’s Raheem Sterling After Criticism

Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling has again fell under intense criticism during England’s 2-0 victory over Sweden in the World Cup quarterfinal after he missed a chance after running onto Jordan Henderson’s floated pass over the Sweden defense during the first half.

“Haven’t seen this but whatever it is it’s wrong,” Beckham wrote on Instagram regarding the criticism. “We are in the semi-final of a World Cup. Every player deserves to be applauded.

“We as a country are united behind the team…”

Sterling’s performances and off-field decisions have been under fire over the past few years, so much so that Sterling admitted that the negativity has made him reluctant to leave his house.

“I remember my first game at the Euros — I thought I did alright. Got past my opponent a couple of times, got a couple of balls in, and you just get caned [by the media]” Sterling said (h/t ESPN FC).

“Now I am constantly thinking: ‘If I do this, something bad will come of it, if I go out tonight something bad is going to happen.”

“Until football is finished I will try and stay in as much as I can, watch TV and no one can say nothing.

Anthony DiMoro is the founder of Futbol Post. DiMoro has covered sports since 2011 and has launched successful brands such as Sports Rants and DiMoro Sports. Heading up DiMoro Inc., a media family that includes several sports entities, such as the Futbol Post.